New to the Houston metro, need suggestions.

[southtexasscanner]

Hi, newbie on the forums but not new to radio. Hopefully this is the correct spot for this question.

I've been working with a HomePatrol 1 for scanning for some time now, but over time I have noticed that there is a lot I cannot receive or I am missing a lot by not having the correct TG's in my scanner. Maybe it's time for an upgrade?

For reference, I'm new to the west side of the Houston metro and thus scanning in this area. So my research in the database has been focused on the TXWARN system. I've noticed that there is a lot to scanning here, luckily most is in the clear, but it seems overwhelming to program in the metro since there is a ton of nuances in how the system works down here, even when it comes to a single department. This doesn't even begin to include outside Harris (Fort Bend, Galveston, Brazoria, etc.). I understand that the layers exist and I'd probably need to spend a good amount of time programming. Harris county looks to be a mess that I'll probably solve with SDR's just for the amount of traffic that Layer 1 has.

My nearest sites are Clodine, Wallis, Fort Bend and Fort Bend Simulcast.

Could I get by with just my nearest sites if all I wanted to listen to was anything in the outlying counties in the metro? Is there any particular TG's I should include that hold a bit more traffic than others?

Thanks!

 

[hiegtx]

Hi, newbie on the forums but not new to radio. Hopefully this is the correct spot for this question.

I've been working with a HomePatrol 1 for scanning for some time now, but over time I have noticed that there is a lot I cannot receive or I am missing a lot by not having the correct TG's in my scanner. Maybe it's time for an upgrade?

For reference, I'm new to the west side of the Houston metro and thus scanning in this area. So my research in the database has been focused on the TXWARN system. I've noticed that there is a lot to scanning here, luckily most is in the clear, but it seems overwhelming to program in the metro since there is a ton of nuances in how the system works down here, even when it comes to a single department. This doesn't even begin to include outside Harris (Fort Bend, Galveston, Brazoria, etc.). I understand that the layers exist and I'd probably need to spend a good amount of time programming. Harris county looks to be a mess that I'll probably solve with SDR's just for the amount of traffic that Layer 1 has.

My nearest sites are Clodine, Wallis, Fort Bend and Fort Bend Simulcast.

Could I get by with just my nearest sites if all I wanted to listen to was anything in the outlying counties in the metro? Is there any particular TG's I should include that hold a bit more traffic than others?

Thanks!

You did not indicate your location, other than mentioning sites within range. Which actual city are you in (or near, if outside city limits)?

Without more specifics, I'll have to give you a general answer. One of the Houston metro members in your area can probably be more specific if you'll name your actual location. I'm in Dallas, so I'm going by what I see on the database page. I am, of course, well out of range for anything in your area.

In your area, from the sites in range, you're dealing with several potential issues. Some of the talkgroups in use are P25 Phase II, which is beyond the capability of your HP-1. Those are designated in the database for the TxWARN system with a T in the mode column. Taking a look at the Fort Bend County cities, and the county, in many cases, there is a mix of P25 Phase I talkgroups, with a D noted in the Mode column, and some with the T. Also, some of the law enforcement agencies are encrypted. Those are tagged with an capital E in the mode column for full time encryption, or a lower case e for those that sometimes are encrypted, other times in the clear. Your HP-1 can receive the P25 Phase I talkgroups as long as they are not encrypted. No scanner can receive the encrypted transmissions regardless of mode.

The Fort Bend County Simulcast site may be a problem. The HP-1 (I have both the HP-1 as well as the HP-2) is not good at dealing with simulcast distortion. See this Wiki page for a more complete discussion of dealing with simulcast issues. What I've found that helps somewhat is to use the original antenna, that came with the scanner, and position it so that is flat (horizontal) instead of straight up & down. While a gain antenna, like some of the Remtronix 800MHz antennas, can help with more distant sites, the 'better antenna' (with gain) actually makes simulcast harder to deal with unless you are using one of Uniden's SDS series scanners. Additionally, not all talkgroups are carried on all the sites. For the most part, the sites near you will mostly have talkgroups in use in that area, not ones from farther away. Also, some of the sites are "fill in", adding coverage for areas where the simulcast sites do not have good coverage, or they carry traffic from talkgroups for units from out of the area, who are not in range of the site that covers their home territory.

 

[KevinC]

You did not indicate your location, other than mentioning sites within range. Which actual city are you in (or near, if outside city limits)?

Without more specifics, I'll have to give you a general answer. One of the Houston metro members in your area can probably be more specific if you'll name your actual location. I'm in Dallas, so I'm going by what I see on the database page. I am, of course, well out of range for anything in your area.

In your area, from the sites in range, you're dealing with several potential issues. Some of the talkgroups in use are P25 Phase II, which is beyond the capability of your HP-1. Those are designated in the database for the TxWARN system with a T in the mode column. Taking a look at the Fort Bend County cities, and the county, in many cases, there is a mix of P25 Phase I talkgroups, with a D noted in the Mode column, and some with the T. Also, some of the law enforcement agencies are encrypted. Those are tagged with an capital E in the mode column for full time encryption, or a lower case e for those that sometimes are encrypted, other times in the clear. Your HP-1 can receive the P25 Phase I talkgroups as long as they are not encrypted. No scanner can receive the encrypted transmissions regardless of mode.

The Fort Bend County Simulcast site may be a problem. The HP-1 (I have both the HP-1 as well as the HP-2) is not good at dealing with simulcast distortion. See this Wiki page for a more complete discussion of dealing with simulcast issues. What I've found that helps somewhat is to use the original antenna, that came with the scanner, and position it so that is flat (horizontal) instead of straight up & down. While a gain antenna, like some of the Remtronix 800MHz antennas, can help with more distant sites, the 'better antenna' (with gain) actually makes simulcast harder to deal with unless you are using one of Uniden's SDS series scanners. Additionally, not all talkgroups are carried on all the sites. For the most part, the sites near you will mostly have talkgroups in use in that area, not ones from farther away. Also, some of the sites are "fill in", adding coverage for areas where the simulcast sites do not have good coverage, or they carry traffic from talkgroups for units from out of the area, who are not in range of the site that covers their home territory.

To add to what Steve said, you NEED a TDMA and simulcast capable scanner in the Houston area. Less and less is FDMA and simulcast is king.

 

[southtexasscanner]

You did not indicate your location, other than mentioning sites within range. Which actual city are you in (or near, if outside city limits)?

Without more specifics, I'll have to give you a general answer. One of the Houston metro members in your area can probably be more specific if you'll name your actual location. I'm in Dallas, so I'm going by what I see on the database page. I am, of course, well out of range for anything in your area.

In your area, from the sites in range, you're dealing with several potential issues. Some of the talkgroups in use are P25 Phase II, which is beyond the capability of your HP-1. Those are designated in the database for the TxWARN system with a T in the mode column. Taking a look at the Fort Bend County cities, and the county, in many cases, there is a mix of P25 Phase I talkgroups, with a D noted in the Mode column, and some with the T. Also, some of the law enforcement agencies are encrypted. Those are tagged with an capital E in the mode column for full time encryption, or a lower case e for those that sometimes are encrypted, other times in the clear. Your HP-1 can receive the P25 Phase I talkgroups as long as they are not encrypted. No scanner can receive the encrypted transmissions regardless of mode.

The Fort Bend County Simulcast site may be a problem. The HP-1 (I have both the HP-1 as well as the HP-2) is not good at dealing with simulcast distortion. See this Wiki page for a more complete discussion of dealing with simulcast issues. What I've found that helps somewhat is to use the original antenna, that came with the scanner, and position it so that is flat (horizontal) instead of straight up & down. While a gain antenna, like some of the Remtronix 800MHz antennas, can help with more distant sites, the 'better antenna' (with gain) actually makes simulcast harder to deal with unless you are using one of Uniden's SDS series scanners. Additionally, not all talkgroups are carried on all the sites. For the most part, the sites near you will mostly have talkgroups in use in that area, not ones from farther away. Also, some of the sites are "fill in", adding coverage for areas where the simulcast sites do not have good coverage, or they carry traffic from talkgroups for units from out of the area, who are not in range of the site that covers their home territory.

I thought I mentioned the city, my apologies. I'm in NW Richmond.

I figured that the simulcast issue might be my biggest issue at the moment. My HP1 can get things sometimes, but as I said earlier, I kinda figure an upgrade is in the cards.

 

[KevinC]

I thought I mentioned the city, my apologies. I'm in NW Richmond.

I figured that the simulcast issue might be my biggest issue at the moment. My HP1 can get things sometimes, but as I said earlier, I kinda figure an upgrade is in the cards.

All LE/Fire/EMS in Fort Bend county will be on the FB simulcast. Clodine/Richmond/Wallis will only carry transient and private ambulance traffic for the most part.

 

[southtexasscanner]

All LE/Fire/EMS in Fort Bend county will be on the FB simulcast. Clodine/Richmond/Wallis will only carry transient and private ambulance traffic for the most part.

So what I'm gathering is that an SDS series is probably really the only option, or the SDR's with a spare laptop.

I do have a Pro-668 turned WS1080 sitting in a drawer at the moment. I was doing okay with the HP 1, but maybe its time to bring it out of retirement?

 

[KevinC]

So what I'm gathering is that an SDS series is probably really the only option, or the SDR's with a spare laptop.

I do have a Pro-668 turned WS1080 sitting in a drawer at the moment. I was doing okay with the HP 1, but maybe it’s time to bring it out of retirement?

While the Pro-668 will let you hear the TDMA stuff it will be less than stellar on simulcast. I have a PSR-800 turned WS-1080 and at my location in NEFBC it’s useless.